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I work as a concierge/ front desk person for a temp agency that provides temps for luxury apartment buildings. One day I was on assignment at a VERY swanky building. I'd been there a few times before, and all the residents seemed very nice. I thought I'd be in for an easy day. Wrong!
When I arrived at 7am, I was told that the heat was not working in some of the apartments, and if residents called to complain, take their unit number and add it to "the list". The maintenance crew was hard at work to solve the problem already. Ok, great.
A couple of hours later, a man in his mid-50s came to the desk to complain that his heat wasn't working. He was a little irritated, but not sucky. Yet. I apologized, explained that the maintenance team was working on the problem, and took down his information. He left. Again, great.
The rest of the day passed with a few complaints about heat, but no SCs. People were very understanding. Then, just about 30 minutes before I was to leave, the man from earlier came STOMPING up to the desk. This is the conversation that ensued:
SR= Sucky Resident
Me=Me, 5'2", 100 lb Concierge
Italics= My thoughts
SR: My heat is STILL not working! What is going on here? I pay blahblahblah in rent and you guys can't even get the heat to work? And I can't turn on my fireplace because that's been broken for -however long- and they keep fixing it and it keeps breaking! This is ridiculous!
Me: Sir, I'm really sorry about the heat. I did note your complaint this morning, and you are on the list that the maintenance crew is working on right now. I understand your frustration but they are working hard to get it fixed as soon as possible.
SR: What? What are they working on right now? Where are they right now? Right this very second, are they working on it? WHERE ARE THEY? I pay rent and I don't get heat! What is this, a tenement? -mumble mumble mumble Obama- (I don't know what he meant either).
Me: I'm not sure where they all are at this moment, but I've been informed by management that this is the #1 priority and they will be working on it until it is done.
SR: WHAT? NO! You get on the radio right now and call them! I'M GOING TO START KICKING PEOPLE IN THE BELLY IF YOU DON'T CALL THEM RIGHT NOW!
Oh no you didn't. Wait, yes, you just did. The second you start threatening violence, I no longer have to even speak to you, let alone help you.
Note: the way he said this was really scary. He didn't sound like he was just expressing his frustration. He sounded like he was actually going to come over the desk and kick me. I was afraid and angry and didn't say anything to him.
Just at that second, one of the maintenance guys happened to walk across the lobby. SR stomps over to him.
SR: What is going on with the heat in this dump? What the hell? Is anyone even working on it? Do I have to start KICKING people to get some help around here? This THING at the desk won't help me!
Me: Sir, I can't help you when you're threatening violence.
SR (now shouting): This C--T over here won't help me!
EXCUSE ME? No one has EVER called me that before in my life!
I retreat to the office and get management. I'm so angry and scared that I'm physically shaking and have to sit down. When I've got myself a little more together, I go back out to the desk. SR is still there, yelling at the manager and asst. manager about how I wouldn't help him. He even admits that he threatened to kick me, maintenance people, and everyone in the general area. He sees nothing wrong with this threat, because he wasn't getting service quickly enough. He also kept repeating this gem: "I told her my heat was out and she didn't do anything! She just LOOKED DOWN!" Because apparently the fact that I was alarmed at a person who was screaming at me and glanced down at the desk for literally 1 second while I thought of what to do is justification for threatening me.
He won't listen to management when they say it is totally unacceptable for him to be threatening anyone, ever, period. I have to go back into the inner office because when he sees me again he gets so enraged that he literally turns bright red. I thought his head was going to explode.
Finally they basically tell him to shut up and go away, and he does. Manager and asst. manager come in the back and apologize to me about a million times. The manager tells me that SR will be getting a letter saying that his lease is being terminated immediately. She also says that if I want to press charges against him for the threats, she'll back me up 100%. I decline to press charges, as long as he will be kicked out of the building. She tells me he'll definitely be gone. I don't totally believe her, because after all, I'm "just a temp", and I've never really seen management stick up for a lowly temp like that.
The next time I work at the property, the service manager comes to talk to me at the desk and tells me that the SR was, in fact, kicked out for his behavior that day. They kept their word!
When I arrived at 7am, I was told that the heat was not working in some of the apartments, and if residents called to complain, take their unit number and add it to "the list". The maintenance crew was hard at work to solve the problem already. Ok, great.
A couple of hours later, a man in his mid-50s came to the desk to complain that his heat wasn't working. He was a little irritated, but not sucky. Yet. I apologized, explained that the maintenance team was working on the problem, and took down his information. He left. Again, great.
The rest of the day passed with a few complaints about heat, but no SCs. People were very understanding. Then, just about 30 minutes before I was to leave, the man from earlier came STOMPING up to the desk. This is the conversation that ensued:
SR= Sucky Resident
Me=Me, 5'2", 100 lb Concierge
Italics= My thoughts
SR: My heat is STILL not working! What is going on here? I pay blahblahblah in rent and you guys can't even get the heat to work? And I can't turn on my fireplace because that's been broken for -however long- and they keep fixing it and it keeps breaking! This is ridiculous!
Me: Sir, I'm really sorry about the heat. I did note your complaint this morning, and you are on the list that the maintenance crew is working on right now. I understand your frustration but they are working hard to get it fixed as soon as possible.
SR: What? What are they working on right now? Where are they right now? Right this very second, are they working on it? WHERE ARE THEY? I pay rent and I don't get heat! What is this, a tenement? -mumble mumble mumble Obama- (I don't know what he meant either).
Me: I'm not sure where they all are at this moment, but I've been informed by management that this is the #1 priority and they will be working on it until it is done.
SR: WHAT? NO! You get on the radio right now and call them! I'M GOING TO START KICKING PEOPLE IN THE BELLY IF YOU DON'T CALL THEM RIGHT NOW!
Oh no you didn't. Wait, yes, you just did. The second you start threatening violence, I no longer have to even speak to you, let alone help you.
Note: the way he said this was really scary. He didn't sound like he was just expressing his frustration. He sounded like he was actually going to come over the desk and kick me. I was afraid and angry and didn't say anything to him.
Just at that second, one of the maintenance guys happened to walk across the lobby. SR stomps over to him.
SR: What is going on with the heat in this dump? What the hell? Is anyone even working on it? Do I have to start KICKING people to get some help around here? This THING at the desk won't help me!
Me: Sir, I can't help you when you're threatening violence.
SR (now shouting): This C--T over here won't help me!
EXCUSE ME? No one has EVER called me that before in my life!
I retreat to the office and get management. I'm so angry and scared that I'm physically shaking and have to sit down. When I've got myself a little more together, I go back out to the desk. SR is still there, yelling at the manager and asst. manager about how I wouldn't help him. He even admits that he threatened to kick me, maintenance people, and everyone in the general area. He sees nothing wrong with this threat, because he wasn't getting service quickly enough. He also kept repeating this gem: "I told her my heat was out and she didn't do anything! She just LOOKED DOWN!" Because apparently the fact that I was alarmed at a person who was screaming at me and glanced down at the desk for literally 1 second while I thought of what to do is justification for threatening me.
He won't listen to management when they say it is totally unacceptable for him to be threatening anyone, ever, period. I have to go back into the inner office because when he sees me again he gets so enraged that he literally turns bright red. I thought his head was going to explode.
Finally they basically tell him to shut up and go away, and he does. Manager and asst. manager come in the back and apologize to me about a million times. The manager tells me that SR will be getting a letter saying that his lease is being terminated immediately. She also says that if I want to press charges against him for the threats, she'll back me up 100%. I decline to press charges, as long as he will be kicked out of the building. She tells me he'll definitely be gone. I don't totally believe her, because after all, I'm "just a temp", and I've never really seen management stick up for a lowly temp like that.
The next time I work at the property, the service manager comes to talk to me at the desk and tells me that the SR was, in fact, kicked out for his behavior that day. They kept their word!
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